Could Kerry Wood be back with the Chicago Cubs in 2011 and beyond? It’s unclear, but that option became available when the New York Yankees officially declined the club’s $11 million option to sign Wood for the 2011 MLB schedule. No big surprise there, and while Wood could potentially re-sign with the Yankees at a lower dollar amount, this does open the door for a potential return to Chicago after spending seasons with the Cleveland Indians and Yankees.

Wood was lights-out for the Yankees during the 2nd half of the 2010 baseball season and it appears that he can pitch on a consistent basis despite the tear in his right shoulder. In 24 games with the evil Yankees, Wood posted a 0.69 ERA and became one of Manager Joe Girardi’s most trusted relievers down the stretch. Wood still has residences in both Chicago and Arizona and he has already confirmed that his primary residence is Chicago. With his oldest child starting school in the Chicago area, could we see Wood being willing to come back to the north side of Chicago as the veteran presence the bullpen so desperately needs. With the plethora of young arms in the bullpen, Wood would be a perfect role model for a lot of these players. I’m getting a little giddy about having Wood back on the Cubs. Assuming that they don’t have to spend more than a few million dollars on the 34-year old reliever, this seems like a no-brainer to me. Let’s just hope the Ricketts Family and GM Jim Hendry see it that way too…